Characteristic flavor of buckwheat Shochu and comparison of volatile compounds from variety cereal Shochu

Abstract

Volatile compounds in Shochu were analyzed by headspace method in most cases. But there was no report about gas chromatography using olfactory organ. So we carried out the investigation of volatile compounds and aroma-active compounds of cereal Shochu, especially buckwheat Shochu. Volatile flavor fractions were concentrated from buckwheat, rice and barley Shochu by porapak Q column method (solid-phase extraction). Those concentrated samples were then analyzed by gas chromatographyolfactometry (GC-O), aroma extract dilution analysis (AEDA) method and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Twenty-one, 14 and 18 of volatile compounds were newly identified from buckwheat, rice and barley Shochu, respectively. Aroma-active compounds of buckwheat, rice and barley Shochu were identified, 22, 20 and 23, respectively. We found that most of aroma-active compounds of buckwheat Shochu have higher flavor dilution (FD) factors than that of other Shochu by AEDA method. Particularly we might guessed that ethyl cinnamate contained in buckwheat Shochu had low odor threshold value and was one of important aroma-active compounds. We found that unknown characteristic flavor of buckwheat Shochu existed in basic action by pH fractionation method and GC-O.